Fearless
by xSunkissedxx
Summary: Casey Bedford is a smart chic with an attitude to match and a childhood that no one would be proud of. But when a serial killer threatens her town of Miami, it brings out a side of her she has never known. Change hits her harder than most could ever take.
1. Here We Go

Where I'm from, the lights ever stop shining. Night clubs,record labels,you name it. It's all here in this hub of a town. One would say Miami is a beach paradise, loaded with bikini clad models, whose citizens all share but one motto,party till dawn. They would say that this beach front city is a utopia for anyone who is young and wild,with a plethora of cash to burn,carefree. But behind the scenes,dear,friend,Miami is not such a colorful place as it's stereotypes imply. I should know,after all. For it's my job to protect all the sorry bastards who live here.

I'm Casey. Born and raised right here, in the heart of Miami Dade County. Dad's a record producer. And myself? Simply the product of him and one of his many bikini model affiliates. It's scumbags like him that inspire me to do the things I do. And it was his negligent behavior during my youth that drove me away from my father, and into the welcoming arms of the public library. Miami has brought me to realize how hard you need to push yourself to get by in a world like this, where scoundrels wait to pounce on you,similar to the way a lion strikes a harmless,young gazelle. For the people who can't take care of themselves and have fallen victim to crime, the Miami Police Department is in existence. No pain,no game. No murder,no action. That's how we function.

This is my is how I became one of Miami's protectors.

* * *

><p>It had been a long day,and Casey Bedford's boredom ate away at her mind. It was was that dead time of the night where all the cases were halfway filled and leads were wearing thin. Yet,there was still just something about being within the crime lab's walls that made her want to jump out of her skin. Not only was it a massive building of many floors,but it housed some of the finest CSIs in the nation. Hell, it had had Horatio Caine! She was still starstruck the minute she entered the double glass doors in the morning,despite the fact that she had been a labrat here for the past year. But most of all,she had the most gorgeous and holyshitIcan'tbelievehethinksI'mcute boyfriend in the whole fucking planet. He was the cherry on top of all this madness.<p>

Ryan Wolfe's bright blue eyes sparkled as he wrapped his arm around Casey's lab-coat covered waist,his soft breath on her neck gave Casey as he whispered in her ear. He pressed his lips to her cheek.

"I was thinking that maybe in an hour or two,you and I could go and have a little fun."

Casey grinned and glanced at her watch. It was nearly ten,only on more hour till she could leave with Ryan and do the things that a 24-year old does. As corny and stereotypical as it seemed, his smile made her insides melt and she would go anywhere with him to bring it out. Anything at all to make him smile. The hands of the clock on the wall were stuck in a perpetual slow motion. Miami was the place to be on a Friday evening. She smiled excitedly, her dark brown curls bouncing around her shoulders and pixie like face glowing at the thought. At last Casey responded.

"Hell,yes. I need beer or I think I might drop dead."

Casey had said her last sentence a bit too loudly,and Calleigh Duquesne's rich southern accent sounded loudly in her and Ryan's direction.

"Hate to break it to you love birds,but neither one of you is off the clock just yet. There was a stabbing downtown today, possible result of a serial killer. We need all the help we can get to catch this lunatic."

Ryan inwardly groaned and ran his fingers through his glanced shyly at her feet.

"It's days like these where I wish I had pursued law school like my father." Ryan muttered.

"Well it's days like these where the people of Miami rely on us to keep them safe,."

With that, Calleigh brushed a strand of her blonde hair away from her face her face before casually walking away from them.

"Harsh much?" he whispered.

Casey shrugged and lay her head on his shoulder.

"She loves her job and she does a pretty kick ass job of it."

"Yeah I guess-."

Ryan's sentence was interrupted by the tone of his cellphone. Casey knew from the look on his face when he answered that it was important. Usually cases during the night hours were the job of the night team,but after a troublesome lawsuit with a couple of powerful civilians ,the day squad was handling both shifts. For the time being, Ryan was out in the field a lot of the day,and she missed him. He wrapped her lovingly in his arms for a few moments. Casey knew he had to do what he had to do. Her face was solemn as she watched her beautiful Ryan jog out the doors of the precinct. One of the few times she had been able to talk to him today was over.

* * *

><p>Releasing a sigh, Casey made her way to Chemical Analysis to find a cure for her boredom. Natalia Boa Vista greeted her with a grin,beauriful brown eyes aglow.<p>

"Nothing like a serial killer to stir up the lab!"

"Of course," Casey replied "It's even got Calleigh uptight."

"Well, it's not like we get cases like this everyday. When it happens,things get in a city like this."

Casey felt a stab of sympathy for her co-worker. Natalia had had a fair share of run ins with some serious lunatics all around Miami. She'd been kidnapped,injured and threatened by some of the most twisted minds of there.

"I just hope it does escalade into something we can't handle." Casey shrugged.

Natalia glanced up from the test tubes she was working with.

"Ms Bedford, in your year here, you should have known by now."

"Known what?" Casey furrowed her brow,confused.

"This team can handle any messed up dirtbag the city throws at us."


	2. The Yellow Tape

"I'm what?"

Horatio's frustration became clear at this point. He removed his sunglasses carefully and stared at her.

"For the last time, you are in the field today."

Casey puffed out her lip in protest. It was a small attempt at childishness, a last attempt at swaying Horatio's mind from doing this.

"Uh…why?"

He brushed his hand through his red hair.

"Calleigh gave Walter the day off. There was another homicide reported an hour ago,probably our serial. This team needs all the intelligence we can get and you are most qualified to fill his place temporarily."

She couldn't argue with that, let alone with her boss. Casey sighed. Removing her lab coat felt so foreign to her. The lab had become a routine of sorts and the notion of venturing into the midst of the field was just…wow. Casey herself was not the field agent type,regardless. They all had muscles on their bones and could shoot a gun like there was no tommorow. Casey had neither and barely stood at five foot. It astounded her at why her expertise was needed. But hey, it's the Miami way.

* * *

><p>Casey carefully tied her hair back in a ponytail and threw on a violet tunic with some darkwash jeans before slipping out of the precinct's bathroom. Time to enter the fray…God knows…<p>

"DINO!" Eric Delko's mocking yet sweet voice sounded in her direction as soon as his eyes met hers. He wasn't being supercilious or anything,but he was still a pain in the ass. Ever since Casey had shown up to work with a dinosaur bandaid on her thumb a few months back, Eric had resorted to calling her Dino. He probably couldn't remember her real name. Casey, such a hard one to do so,indeed. But if you push the mute button, he was some serious eye candy. That's how Casey learned to put up with her kid brother of a co-worker.

"I'm here for Walter." She muttered.

"Oh,I'm going to have some fun with you." He grinned boyishly,before proceeding towards the black Range Rover without saying another word. Eric turned around,and gestured for her to follow. As she was walking,Casey anticipated the crime scene,and was mildly blinded by Delko's bright yellow Hawaiian shirt,nearly tripping over her own purple Keds clad feet.

"Ladies first." He opened the passenger door.

"Save it,Delko."

"Worth a shot, dear co-worker of mine."

"You're such a card.."

* * *

><p>Casey stepped into the car,nearly slamming the door on Eric's hand. Might as well have fun if your day is virtually going to suck, no matter how you look at it. The engine revved, and off they went. Miami flew by as the wheels of the car ate up the ground. Her eyes drank it all in. She had grown up in this town, but hardly ever ventured outside of her niche in the library. This part was alien. Alien, yet shockingly fascinating all at once. The threatening dread of a bad day that had plagued her earlier was trees blew genty in the warm winds of Florida,and the building seemed to glow in the ocean of sunshine that near constantly shines.<p>

"We're here."

The car had come to a stop in an abandoned lot , nothing particularly mysterious. The sounds of Highway 95 buzzed. This was the perfect place for a murder,pretty much outside the populated part of Miami. It was going to be kind of exhilerating, even though Casey tried to force herself not to think such a thought.

"Goody,goody." Casey murmured,concealing her now excitement with a pissed tone.

Delko hopped out of the car and immediately began conversing with the officers surrounding the scene. Crowds had gathered around that ever present yellow tape, some fear struck, others ripping weaves out of peoples scalps to snap a few shots of the victim. Casey breathed in, and ducked under the yellow line.

"Who's our vic?" she asked Calleigh,who was already crouched over the body.

"Her name name's Annika Bowley. Typical stripper. If I'm not mistaken,she works at the Loco Lounge over by that old pizza joint." Her blue eyes emited a spur of sympathy. "Such a pretty girl, but such a hard way to grow up. She is only 19 years old."Calleigh cocked her head, "But the make end's meat,I guess tough decisions had to be made..."

Casey teared up at the sight of the girl's tattered remains. Annika's throat had been brutally slashed,almost primitively, like a wild cat slaying a gazelle. The serial killer from the double homicide's killing style mirrored the body on the ground. Annika's body was clean,with the exception of some pink colored chips on her thigh. Possible trace. There was no blood pooling or spatter,so this was obviously a body dump.

"Is this our guy?" Casey pondered aloud.

"No idea. The chick's hot though."

Casey shot a death glare at Eric.

"She's half your age,Delko! And for christ's sake,keep it in your pants for once."

He grinned, and, begrudgingly,Casey grinned as well,unable to keep her of them noticed Calleigh's quiet laughter at the idiotic conversation. Eric could be such a douschebag at times, but when it came down to doing the job,no one could do it better. That was probably how he won over a certain southern belle who worked in the lab.

* * *

><p>Deciding to make herself useful at last,Casey dropped to her knees beside the vic. Her ocean blue eyes scanned the stripper arms and legs for any trace substance or blood that might be usful. The killer was through in cleaning the body, but even he could not stop Casey Bedford from finding the truth. Casey used swabs to collect blood samples from the throat wound. It was extremely deep, and she iwnced at the immense amount pain this young woman had had to endure. Casey shuddered. Wedged in between the silicone pumped lips of Annika Bowley was a black fiber. Expression quizzical, the amateur CSI held up the fiber with her tweezers.<p>

"What is this thing?"

She placed it in an evidence enevelope and handed it to one of the other investigators to put with the other evidence. Casey turned her attention back to the body,intensely focused. Her butt began to vibrate. She awkwardly squeaked, of course drawing in all the eyes of everyone around her. Then, it hit Casey that her phone was ringing. Scrambling the pick it up,she managed to spit out a hello. A man's voice sounded on the other end.

"Hello Ms. Bedford. I see that you have been made familiar with my work."


	3. The Lonely War

The line went dead. Casey clicked her cellphone shut, the words of the man on the other end drifting about her mind,haunting her. Was he the killer? She had been staring at the body during the call,and had had said it was his work…He had ot have been watching her. But how? And from where? The gears in the young CSI's mind began to turn,she furrowed her brow, deep in thought.

"What are you staring at, Casey?" a smooth male voice said. Horatio.

"Oh,uh. Just trying to picture the attack. You know… replay it in my mind?"

The red haired man lifted his aviators down, staring at her quizzically.

"Casey."

"I swear I was just envisioning the…"

"Stay focused."

"I will,H." Casey chirped as she watched him walk over to a uniformed officer a few yards away. She could tell he was stifling his laughter in his quite, Horatio Caine-like way.

She needed some sort of confirmation that that man in fact was the killer. But how? He was gone. There were no means by which to trace him. This was in her hands now, until she told someone,which of course she wouldn't. They would think she was a target. They would try and protect her. And if there was something that Casey Bedford hated, it was being babied and protected. Her father had never done that to her when she was young, she was accustomed to being strong for herself.

* * *

><p>The ride back to the precinct was long. The fact that Delko had some freakishly feminine pop station on the radio didn't help. It was annoying as hell. Listening to him belt out the lyrics of Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten", Casey pondered the concept of throwing herself out the window of the car. She could possibley survive if she had the right trajectory.<p>

"Dino, you look upset."

Casey turned to him,blue eyes empty, facial expression nonexistent.

"I'm just tired." She muttered, masking her annoyance. She had snapped at him earlier. He hadn't done anything wrong. It was that the phonecall had brought out this aggressive side of her. Casey was, normally, about as happy as they come.

"You aren't tired, Casey. I know you better than that." He looked at her, silently pleading with her to spill.

"It's nothing, really. Something just came out of nowhere…Freaked me out a bit."

Delko put his hand on her shoulder,his other gripping the steering wheel of the Hummer. Their relationship that had formed over the years was that of a brother and sister. They mutually cared for one another, and told each other everything. And yet, here she was,keeping one of the most frightening phonecalls in her life from him. Would Casey really be able to catch this guy on her own? It was her day out in the field and already she was in deep shit. It was almost like the plot in some thriller movie, Casey couldn't help but think, taking her situation to a more humorous note.

"But the female heroine always gets stabbed or something…" she muttered under her breath. "I sure as hell don't want to get stabbed."

* * *

><p>Casey closed the door of the car and walked up the stairs to the precinct alongside Delko. He was telling her about some case he investigated with Calleigh a while back. His words entered oen ear and quickly left the other. She wished she could listen but she desperately needed answers. Her mind was set on finding the serial killer. She felt Delko give her a hug goodbye and heard the sounds of his shoes on the tile as he jogged into the building. Casey just stood there. Hopelessness loomed over her, and she struggled to push it aside. Her blue eyes were filled with tears. Then everything went dark.<p>

"Guess who?"

"Ryan, get your hands off my face before I slug you in the…"

Her vision returned before she could finish her sentence.

Casey turned to face her boyfriend. Him being there seemed to ebb the discomfort she had felt most of the day. He had the cutest grin on his face, like a kid who had just gotten away with something bad. She wiped her eyes.

"Are you just going to stand outside the lab all night?"

"Well," she replied,sarcastically"I was planning on doing that until you showed up."

"Of course you were." Ryan laughed. Then he turned and looked at her for a few moments "I know that now is not the time…but..uh..you know that I love you,right?"

It hit Casey that was the first time he had told her that. He loved her? This was a foreign phrase. She had heard it before, of course. But he meant it, his eyes were like an open book. The many others hadn't. There was nothing Casey could say. Instead,she put her hands on Ryan shoulder. Then she kissed him, her lips brushing his seductively before meeting them again.

"My place…or yours?" He breathed,wide eyed.

* * *

><p>The slur of events that took place after that were only a blur to her. The door of her apartment was thrown open in the heat of the moment and Casey kicked it shut,Ryan already running his hands down her back,down ot her thighs…She grabbed his hand, practically dragging him to her bed. His lips brushed her neck as the buttons of her blouse were nearly ripped from their seams as they came undone, exposing her hot pink lace bra nad matching panties. He yanked the zipper of her skirt, practically ripping it off her body, throwing it across the rest of their garments were hastily removed. She grasped his tongue in her teeth,wriggling it around with hers. Her hands worked the zipper of his jeans,sliding them off at a startling speed. Casey's nails raked his sides as their bodies met. A moan slipped his lips and he pulled her closer, her body arching with pleasure. Beads of sweat dripped down his face as he looked into her piercing blue eyes.<p>

"You…Casey Bedford…" he gasped "Are a woman of many talents…"

Casey grinned devilishly and pressed her lips to his. She wrapped her legs around his torso, pulling herself into him. Goosbumps formed on her skin as he touched her,his hands moving slowly down her thighs. She rolled,forcing him to chase her to the other side of her bed, it's hinges squeaking. He met her again, his eyes burning with a mad desire as he brought Casey to him. She melted into his arms,breathing heavily as his lips trailed the outline of her neck,finding their way to hers repeatedly.

"Never leave this bed…" Casey tried to say,her words muffled by Ryan's kiss.

"Nothing could make me leave…" he gasped.

No sooner had he spoken, the sound of Casey's cellphone rang out through the wall from the other room.

"I need to get that." She said, attempting to remove herself from under him. Ryan smiled, his blue eyes sparkling. He kissed her again before putting his hands on her wrists. He was stronger than she was. Casey giggled and writhed beneath him in the pitiful attempt at freeing herself from his grasp.

"Believe me,Wolfe. You're loads of fun, but I need to take this call."

He let her go, and she slipped on his button down before sprinting to her living room. She scooped up her vibrating cellphone from the coffee table and brought it to her ear.

"Hello?" she half gasped.

"Hate to bother you this late…but there's something you need to see." Calleigh's voicesaid from the other end. "The killer sent us a letter…and there was a photo attached. I'm sending it to you now."

"Alright." Casey replied. She was still breathing hard.

Ryan hobbled out from the bedroom, pulling up his boxers and zipping his jeans. Casey couldn't help but notice how toned his muscles were…He caught her staring and Casey stuck her tongue out at him.

"You there Casey?"

"Oh,sorry. Distracted…"

Her phone beeped and the message that a photo had been sent ot her flashed on the screen. She clicked it and the photo opened. Casey's breathing halted, and her hand cupped her mouth. The phone fell to the floor with a crack.

"What's wrong,babe?"

She couldn't speak. Staring back at her was a photo of a petite woman dressed in CSI coveralls. It was in a parking lot, and a dead body lay at the woman's feet. The CSI's blue eyes were focused intently on her work, and her dark brown hair was tied away from her face. What she was looking at was a photo of herself,taken at the crime scene that very day.


End file.
